Microorganisms (e.g., bacteria) may cause the spoilage of foodstuffs (e.g., fruit juice) during or after manufacture. Some microorganisms may cause foodstuff spoilage and any one or more of several undesirable effects such as, for example, unpleasant odor, unpleasant taste, and rendering the foodstuff unsafe for consumption. Failure to accurately and rapidly detect the presence of foodstuff-spoiling microorganisms may increase the risk of food spoilage. Obstacles to the rapid and accurate detection of the microorganisms that cause the spoilage of foodstuffs may include, for example, the lengthy duration of the traditional microbiology methods used to detect the microorganisms. These traditional methods may take an average of 10-12 days to complete. Another obstacle to accurate detection may include, for example, the similarity of the genomic sequences of some foodstuff-spoiling microorganisms as compared to that of non-foodstuff-spoiling microorganisms.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved compositions and methods for detecting microorganisms that cause the spoilage of foodstuffs.